Today, we have access to more information than even before, and, as the cost to access that information plummets, its audience increases. Sociologists no longer refer to the technology, computer or even the electronic age. The society that this generation is building is the Information Society, promising fundamental change in all aspects of our lives. But for its benefits to be truly equitably distributed, its reach must be global. Digital electronics - computer networks, digital TV, 3G phones and a host of related, hardware, software and services - provide the key building blocks for the Information Society. Collectively, they are known as Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Without ICTs - the technologies that are essential to disseminating information and/or knowledge electronically - a global Information Society would not be possible. ICTs have a direct impact on almost every aspect of social development - from education through healthcare, public administration, economics, finance and banking, commerce and business, international relations, and technology transfer to poverty reduction.
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